Backorders & Stock-Outs

We try to fill your order as completely as possible, and usually we do pretty well. But unfortunately, backorders do happen, particularly when dealing with parts for older vehicles where there may not be a multitude of sources to choose from. If we are forced to backorder a part on you, it's not for lack of trying. Our take on hard-to-get items is a bit different from most VW parts retailers. Many of our competitors "cherry pick" the most lucrative or easiest to get items. If obtaining a part becomes a challenge, they'd rather remove it from their catalog than waste time and effort sourcing a part that will never make them much money. We believe this does a disservice to the VW community. There are thousands of parts on your VW that, by themselves, could take it off the road. If every retailer simply gave up on the tough ones, where would you go when you needed one for your VW? We think differently. Our online catalog is several times the size of the next largest on the internet, and that's no accident. We will search woldwide to keep a part available, even if the effort exceeds the profit we'll make on it. We believe that in the long run this philosophy benefits both of us. You keep your VW on the road, and as a result you'll buy profitable parts from us in the future.

We do our best to keep our website current and note any backorders, but there is a lag between when an item sells out and when this is reflected on our site. Also some of the manufacturers do not always inform us of factory backorders on a timely basis. As a result, there may be cases where an item is backordered even if not noted on the site. If we expect it within a couple of days, we may wait and ship your order complete. Otherwise, we may either backorder it and ship it separately when it comes in, or delete it from your order. If we have an ETA on the item from a supplier we will typically backorder it. However, if we're not sure we'll see it again we may delete it. Also if it's a very inexpensive item, or the order is shipping internationally, we may cancel the item. Finally, if a backorder extends to four months it is canceled automatically.

If you pay by credit card, we charge for items as they ship, so you will not be charged for backordered items until they go out to you, and we'll cover the extra shipping charge. If you'd rather cancel please let us know.

Paypal is a little different, as they charge when your order is placed. If an item is expected to come back in stock within 10 days, or within the lead time shown on the product listing, we'll just send it then. If the ETA is longer or unknown, we'll refund that portion of your Paypal payment and email you a link to pay that amount again when the backorder comes in. If you'd rather cancel the backorder please let us know right away.

Made-to-order or built-to-order items (as noted in the product listing) are handled differently, in that you will be charged when the order is given to the factory. These items cannot be canceled or returned after that point.

When we ship your order, we'll email you an invoice indicating what shipped, and what was backordered if anything. (Please note that if the item is listed as backordered but also says Dropship or D/S, it is not actually backordered but merely shipping separately in the near future from another location.) When a backordered item ships, we'll email you an updated invoice showing everything that has shipped at that point. If you would like to know of any backorders before your order ships, or would like an ETA on an existing backorder, please feel free to email us or call Customer Service at 215-234-VWVW.